Joondalup local Sophie Robins has been honoured for her courageous actions during a boat fire that threatened to spread through Hillarys Boat Harbour. The 24-year-old Marine Rescue Whitfords volunteer was named Marine Rescue Young Person of the Year at the 2026 WA Fire and Emergency Services Awards.
Brave Response to Boat Fire
During the September 2025 fire, Ms Robins was among the first on scene, running onto the jetty towards the burning vessel to release mooring lines, enabling nearby boats to be moved away from the blaze. She also helped provide logistical support by co-ordinating communications between Marine Rescue volunteers and firefighters, assisted the incident controller in assessing the scene, and deployed a spill kit to contain debris.
Ms Robins said her crew and another were already in the area after responding to a mayday call when the fire broke out, and it spread within seconds. “A fibreglass vessel like that catching fire is very difficult to put out. By the time we got over there, the flames had already engulfed the top part of the vessel,” Ms Robins said. “There wasn’t a significant amount that we were going to do in being able to control that fire initially when we first arrived, which was only about 20 seconds after we noticed it. In that case, our job just became to protect the other vessels and the lives around them, and keep people away from them.” They spent about six hours on the scene.
Recognition and Volunteer Spirit
Ms Robins said she was honoured to win the award, but it was not the reason she volunteers. “It’s very humbling to be awarded with something. It recognises the hard work that young volunteers do in volunteer emergency services, and volunteers in emergency services in general. So it’s nice to be recognised for the work that we do. We don’t do it for recognition, but it is really nice to have that acknowledgment,” she said.
Ms Robins joined Marine Rescue Whitfords in 2024 and has been around boats her whole life. She said joining Marine Rescue Whitfords has been a rewarding experience as it enabled her to learn marine skills, give back to the community and do something meaningful. She encouraged other young people to get involved. “It does seem scary at the beginning, but as soon as you get in there, start volunteering, start training and meet lots of new people, you realise there’s nothing to be afraid of. It is a big family, and there are lots of people there to support you. So it would be something that I absolutely would not hesitate in recommending to other young people,” she said.
Awards and Congratulations
Ms Robins was one of four young person award winners at the WAFES awards, which recognise members of the fire and emergency services across volunteer firefighting, Marine Rescue, the SES and DFES. The WAFES Young Person of the Year will be selected from the winners in September. Acting Emergency Services Minister Dr Tony Buti congratulated all winners for their achievements. “Every year the WAFES Awards help to acknowledge, thank and celebrate emergency services personnel for the incredible job they do protecting Western Australians and in September we have the honour of presenting 17 individual, team and young people awards,” Mr Buti said. “These four courageous young people have made a lasting and positive impact on our emergency services and community spirit.”
